


Winter is Coming (And So am I)!

by Aly_Kazaam



Series: The Galaxy District AU [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is a Good Partner, Ben Solo is a Mess, Bisexual Rey (Star Wars), Bisexual Rose Tico, Corgi BB-8 (Star Wars), Demisexual Ben Solo, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Gay Poe Dameron, Healthy Relationships, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Multi, Paige Tico Lives, Rey & Rose Tico Are Best Friends, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Rey is Bad at Feelings (Star Wars), Snow, Star Wars Modern AU, The Knights of Ren are a Band, Trans Phasma (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:49:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29560065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aly_Kazaam/pseuds/Aly_Kazaam
Summary: Phasma and Paige Tico notice their housemate Armitage Hux has been frustrated. Thinking he may be lonely, Paige calls an old friend to clear the driveway of the recent snowfall, and possibly ask her redhead friend on a date.
Relationships: Phasma/Paige Tico, Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey & Rose Tico
Series: The Galaxy District AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171715
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Winter is Coming (And So am I)!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to the wonderful friends in the STAR WARS: A Ship Awakens Discord server. Special thanks to Utopia for the image manip.
> 
> Not gonna lie this was so fun to write, I already am brainstorming more ideas and plan to make a collection of works based around the Galaxy district. Because we all need some wholesome LGBTQ content in our lives!

The aroma of fresh ground coffee wafted through the kitchen as it steeped in the French press while Phasma searched through her cabinet for her favorite coffee mug. The morning was early and the world of the Galaxy district of Chandrilla was coated in snow from the blizzard that passed through a few hours before. The Alliance Army Infantry veteran had found her prized ceramic cup, an old gray thing with an image of a cartoon kitten wearing a horned Viking helmet. Her blue eyes lit up and she pressed down the grounds and poured herself a cup.

Phasma with her coffee in one hand and her two pieces of avocado toast on yesterday’s ciabatta in the other, sat down at the dining room table beside the window that stared out at Starkiller drive, the friendly, colorful neighborhood she had claimed as her home for the last six years. It was her safe place to be herself since coming out as trans once she received her honorable discharge from the Infantry for serving three tours overseas, as the Galaxy district was home Chandrilla’s LGBT community. The denizens were unique and friendly; even better, the local shops and markets were a true treasure of diverse foods and antiquities for a woman well traveled as herself.

Treasures among them like the local roast she was about to sip with her breakfast.

Phasma brought the brew close and took in a deep cleansing inhale, taking in the notes of stone fruit and chocolate. She had outdone herself with this coffee and the woman knew she was ready for a relaxing day off from the station once she imbibed the pleasant drink, unadulterated by fresh cream or sugar. She brought her favorite silly mug to her lips and just as she began to take the first, breast warming sip—

“Oh for star's sake, it kriffing snowed last night!!!”

“Well, haven’t you become quite the weatherman, Armitage!” the blonde woman huffed out as her best friend; a tall slender redhead stormed through the living room to look out the bay window, promptly ignoring her candor as he continued grousing about the fresh snow.

“Dear maker, it’s karking everywhere, Phas! The driveway is—that has to be at least seven inches!”

“Nine to eleven actually, at least that’s what the data pad said when I looked this morning. Now keep it down, Paige is sleeping, she worked late last night!” phasma informed her friend as she observed him pinching the bridge of his nose, thinking of the work he was going to have to do before starting his day. After an incoherent grumble Armitage stormed back to his room to get dressed and ready to dig his housemates and himself from their home.

Phasma took her sip of coffee, but her sudden distraction had dulled the flavor slightly. Despite that one mishap in her morning routine, the Raddus Roasters had outdone themselves this time with their most recent batch, thus she could forgive her dear friend’s boorish outburst at seven AM.

Thank goodness for one helluva cup of coffee.

“Uugh, what’s Armie whining about?” a groggy, tired voice spoke before a woman with long straight raven hair in a white tank top and black sweatpants entered the dining room from the hallway that lead to the stairway. The sleepy woman rubbed her eyes as she stumbled to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

“Jellybean, shouldn’t you be in bed? You had a long night.” Phasma turned and leaned her arm over the back of her chair to take in the sight if her long term girlfriend, Paige. A night shift security guard whom Phasma met at the local veteran’s legion four years ago during a fundraiser event; the younger of the two being former Arial Gunner who had received a medal of recognition after defending an aircraft carrier from an Imperial attack, the two hit it off right away.

Birds of a feather and all that.

“It’s alright, Queenie, I couldn’t sleep anyhow.” Paige explained to her lover as she grabbed a glass and poured some juice and took a sip. “So what's got Prime Minister twink all grouchy again?”

Phasma turned back to the table and took a piece of her toast, “Snow.” She said as she took a bite with a crisp crunch.

Paige snorted into her glass, “it was coming down heavy when I got home earlier. But it’s nothing a quick shovel and salt won’t fix. I thought he liked the cold though.”

Phasma chewed on her breakfast and mulled over her girlfriend’s comment. She was right, Armitage was usually a fan of winter. Saying it reminded him of happier parts of his childhood with his mother, before that lout of a father Brendol decided the poor boy needed a ‘manly role-model' in his life and stole Armitage from a loving home.

Just what has gotten into him?

“Y'know, come to think of it, Armitage has seemed…on edge as of late. I wonder what’s bothering him.”

Paige took a gulp of her beverage and placed the empty glass in the sink, making sure to run the faucet and give the glass a quick rinse before joining Phasma at the dining room table a few steps away. She plopped down on the chair adjacent to her girlfriend and snatched the other piece of avocado toast and took a bite. “I think I have an idea. He’s been this way since he and Dopey split up.”

“His name was Dopheld, and the break up was smooth and mutual. They were two ‘ships passing along the ocean of life' as Armie described it.” Phasma corrected Paige as she took a swig of her coffee.

“Well his ‘ship' needs to ‘dock’.” Paige added with a smirk and a quirked eyebrow at her lady.

Phasma raise one of her own eyebrows and tried to understand Paige's subtle remark. “I beg your pardon?”

“Girl, our grouchy neighborhood ginger is pent up.”

Phasma brought her elbows to the table’s surface and leaned in.

After a second Paige rolled her eyes and whispered, “babe, our roommate is horny!”

The blonde chortled and brought the back of her hand to her lips. “Such language!” she lightly chastised, ever the bashful one, before she cupped her face in her hands and ask, “so, what do we do about our friend’s…predicament.”

Paige’s brown eyes lit up and she pulled her phone from her pocket. Scrolling through her contacts, he bit her lip when the number she searched for was found. “I know a guy, and the timing is perfect.” She said while tapping the screen and placing the phone to her ear.

**

Snow, snow, wonderful, glorious, money making, snow!

Poe Dameron has had a busy, profitable morning. Waking up before the dawn and taking calls throughout the Galaxy district, plowing driveways and parking lots for local offices and businesses with his pudgy, one-eyed corgi Queen Beebee the Eighth sitting in the passenger seat. Singing to “I'm Gonna Get You” by Bizarre Inc. as it played on his truck stereo from his satellite radio tuned to the 90's dance station listed as number one on his saved channels.

“Why waste your time, you know you’re gonna be mine! You know you’re gonna be mine!” Poe sang while driving down the slushy, freshly salted streets, before turning to his dog, “it’s you and me today, girl! Fresh snow, helping people, getting paid, that’s what it’s all about, Beebee! Just so we’re clear the helping is more important than the money!”

The one eyed corgi stamped her stout feet on her heated seat and barked in response.

“Amen to that, girl!” Poe said as he smiled, keeping his eyes on the road.

And then his phone rang again for the umpteenth time this morning in the empty cup holder beside the one that housed his stainless steel tumbler. The driver’s eyes lit up when he saw the contact name on the screen, picking up his phone, hitting the Answer button and putting it to his ear.

“Paige!”

Paige Tico gave Phasma a grin and a quick raise of her eyebrows as she answered, “Hey pooh bear! You out and about?”

“Does a Wookiee shit in the woods?” Phasma and Paige could hear from the phone. Provoking a chuckle from the two lesbians at the dining room table. Everyone knows Wookies were an urban legend.

“You think you can head here pretty quick, friend?” Paige asked the former pilot turned serviceman.

“I'm over by Tattooine boulevard, Starkiller’s a couple miles away. Y'all pretty snowed in?”

“Not just that,” Paige leaned back in her chair as Phasma sipped her now second cup of coffee, “Remember that buddy of mine and Phas's that I told you about?”

“The spicy redhead?”

“That’s the one!” Paige answered in a sing-song voice.

Poe Dameron’s dark brown eyes lit up and he glanced at his dog, giving her a toothy smile and a quick wink of his eye before returning them to the road ahead. Armitage Hux had been the apple of his eye when they met at a block party on Starkiller drive last summer. The young man was fiery, quick witted, and handsome to boot. Not to mention he had good taste in music as they both enjoyed the live performance of Kylo and the Knights of Ren, a local gay future funk band headlined by Poe’s childhood friend, Ben Solo.

So far as Poe knew, Armitage was interested in his best bisexual friend and cast his budding feelings aside. After Ben’s musical mentor and long term boyfriend, Ren, passed away unexpectedly from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect; Poe wanted nothing but happiness for his friend who had seemed lost after the tragic happening. Even assigning himself as Ben’s wingman in the process.

But much to Poe’s surprise, Armitage’s interest in Ben was only in the music he performed. The two men otherwise despised each other, while there was mutual respect, there was also mutual loathing.

It was cosmically comical that Ben and his band mates happened to live on Starkiller drive as well, right across the street As a matter of fact!

“You think while you’re here cleaning up the snow you give the poor bastard your number?” Paige asked, pulling Poe out of his thoughts. “He’s been pretty down and noticeably lonely.”

Loneliness was something Poe Dameron understood. When his parents died back to back during his career as a pilot, Poe and solitude had become long term bedfellows. BeeBee the Eighth helped him through many trying times with her loyalty and typical canine antics after he adopted her from the local shelter. But to take a chance and find companionship, even love, was one Poe was ready to jump into head first.

“Now how can I say no to my favorite lesbian! I’ll be there in…ohhh...fifteen minutes!” Poe accepted the job and the challenge of asking Armitage Hux on a date. The two said their good-byes and the brunette hung up his phone, setting it back in his empty cup holder where he left it before.

A big smile grew on his face and he started to sing again to the same song that continued on the radio. Loud and silly enough that Queen BeeBee began howling with him.

“I'm gonna get choo, boy! Uh huh! I'm gonna- ah c'mon, girl, I’m not _that_ bad!” Poe rolled his eyes and reached over to give his canine best friend a pat on the head as he drove to Starkiller drive.

**

Rey stepped out into the snow. She ran down the covered sidewalk in an effort to quickly grab the newspaper at the end of the walkway barefoot. Instantly regretting her quick thoughtless decision as the cold crystallized water practically burned her toes it was so cold and damp.

Each hopping step in her tank top and track shorts was stinging and painful, but brought her closer to the rolled up newspaper bagged in a plastic wrap to keep it dry while it sat for her to take it in and read.

Success! Rey made it to the end of the walkway with only numb feet and shivering shoulders. She bent down and grabbed the paper, hopeful the classifieds within will have some promising junk items available for her to turn into something new and unusual. But all hopes were cast asunder when a wave of ice cold snow cashed onto her from her left.

The shock of being pelted by the heavy white stuff had caused the petite woman to topple over into a small drift to her right. Rey clawed her way out of the snow and turned to where the attack had originated. Infuriated to see none other than Ben Solo aggressively shoveling his driveway and grumbling about trudging and cardio.

Whatever the kark that meant!

Suddenly hot with fury Rey Niima, the woman who built herself up from the Jakku projects to mainstream metal sculptor and custom mechanic, grabbed a large handful of snow and packed it tight and hard. Remembering her days as a young incorrigible bastard throwing stones at the windows of abandoned factories, her aim was true as she launched the snowball at the back of her massive neighbor’s head.

“You horse's arse!” Rey shouted at Ben as the snowball burst into an explosion of flakes when it hit the older man on the back of his head with a loud poof. “Watch where you throw that shit!”

Ben's shoulders stiffened from the cold blast of snow to his head, but then the man straightened himself to his full stature. He towered over Rey and he had yet to turn around. But Rey Niima was afraid of nothing, fear fled the young proud bisexual ages ago when she unapologetically came out to her foster parent, and walked out of his door by her own volition.

“Maybe you should wear some more clothes when walking outside on one of the coldest days of the year!” Ben shouted when he turned to face her and saw that the fool he lived next door to had indeed wore far less than necessary for the weather. “And mind your-"

“You big dummy!!”

Rey and Ben stopped and looked at the open door to see Rose running outside, bundled up with her thick fleece robe and a tall pair of slip on boots, carrying a thick blanket in her arms to wrap around Rey. Assuming the big dummy was Ben, Rey gave her neighbor a glare and a smirk as Rose bundled Rey in the blanket. But Rose picked up the bagged newspaper and gave her friend a thump on the head.

“Bitch! What was that for!?”

“I meant you!” Rose scolded Rey, placing her hands on her hips before turning to Ben. Whom she caught trying to hold in a chuckle by covering his mouth with a large gloved hand. “And could you please be a little more careful! My bestie here is accident prone as it is, she doesn’t need help.”

“Hey!” Rey tried to protest until Rose began pushing the underdressed woman back to the house.

“Go on back inside, will ya? And don’t come back out until you put some clothes on!”

The rumbling hum of a diesel engine vibrated the air and ground. The two neighbors looked down the street and saw a large orange truck with a plow attached rolling through the neighborhood and stopping across the street at Rose’s sister's house.

“Odd.” The two observers spoke in unison. Their eyes met with quizzical stares.

Rose points at her door before saying, “I gotta make a phone call. Later, Ben.” And with that, the younger Tico made her leave and returned inside.

“Oi, Benny!”

Ben looks up at the open window on the second story of his house, “Whaddaya want, Ap'lek?”

“I think she likes you!” the shirtless man with bronze skin, spiky hair and a long braided rat tail dangling over his shoulder leaned on the window sill.

What is it with everyone not wearing enough clothes for the cold today!?

“And I think you’re an idiot!” the man in the snow quipped.

“I think _you_ like her too!” A man with ebony skin and a thick black beard popped his head out the window from behind Ap'lek. He had a gold piercing in each eyebrow and a thick gold ring in his septum.

“Not you too, Ushar!” Ben sighed loud with feigned frustration. Since Rey had moved in with Rose next door, the band leader had felt something every time he saw her. Something familiar but frightening. Particularly because he hardly knew her, and Ben Solo never simply _liked_ or _had feelings_ about people he did not know.

Ben knew he should be allowed to feel such things. _He_ would want Ben to feel what made his ears burn and his chest flutter.

No matter how long the time grows, everything still felt too soon for him.

Besides, when Ben looked in the bay window of Rose's house, he immediately spotted Rey, still bundled in a blanket, sticking her tongue out and flipping him her middle finger.

‘ _Definitely_ too soon,’ Ben thought to himself, shaking his head at the odd girl in the window that made him feel like a king and a fool all the same.

**

Armitage, fully dressed in a black and gray striped turtleneck and black slacks, returned to the dining room and noticed the orange plow truck clearing out the driveway with ease outside from the front window.

“who did-“

“I know a guy,” Paige explained with a smug grin.

“She knows a guy,” Phasma added before taking a sip of her coffee. She waved a neatly folded twenty credit bill clutched between her slender fingers, “why don’t you be useful and go pay the good Samaritan.”

“A good Samaritan would do it for free,” the redhead grumbled under his breath as he took the twenty from Phasma's hand. Walking to the front door to put on his snow boots, his wool coat, and go outside.

“Always a bowl of cherries, isn’t he?” the blonde whispered to her girlfriend from her Viking kitten mug.

“Woman, his face will be red as one when he sees _this_ on the back of the truck!” Paige muttered low as she slipped her touchscreen phone to Phasma, who gazed down at the photo on the screen. In an instant she burst into a fit of roaring laughter, setting her mug down on the table to bring both hands to her face in a poor effort to stifle it.

Armitage rolled his eyes as he straightened the collar of his coat and opened the door, leaving the warm comfort of the indoors just to pay the plow man. Women! Armitage Hux never understood them, and he was somewhat thankful he never would!

The redhead shut the door behind him and looked at the driveway. The truck was parked, but the engine still purred in idle. With no driver to be seen. So Armitage, assuming that the man would be in his truck stalked over to the door and tapped on the glass.

“Um…hello?”

After a second or two, a dog appeared, a one eyed Pembroke Welsh corgi with a pink and orange collar; she hung out her tongue and growled in a friendly manner at Armitage. Causing the man to smile and laugh to himself.

“Well aren’t you a princess.”

“She’s a queen, actually,” a man with a gray stocking cap and a thick Carhartt coat stepped out from behind the tailgate and approached the redhead and his dog. He extended his gloved hand and introduced himself With a smile. “Poe Dameron, nice to meet ya.”

“Armitage Hux, and likewise. Thanks for coming and doing this, I’m sure you’ve been quite busy, um,” the redhead pulled the credit from his coat pocket. But Poe stopped him by holding up his hand.

“No need, it’s on me.”

Armitage narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “what's your catch, Dameron?”

“Mmmm…” Poe looked about, puckering his lips in thought as he came up with an alternative payment, “Your number now, and a cup of coffee at Raddus Roasters, say, tomorrow?” The serviceman offered with the warmest smoldering brown eyes Hux had ever seen.

Maker be damned, the man was the perfect kind of handsome.

“You drive a hard bargain, but I accept,” Armitage agreed to the proposed payment digging through his pockets to pull out his phone.

Of course, he left it inside!

Poe smirked and dug out a small notepad and pen, handing it to the shuffling redhead who scribbled his number on the first blank page and his name beneath. With a tinge of pink on his fair cheeks Armitage returned the pen and paper to its owner. Poe took back the items with a calm hand, trailing his gloved fingertips across Armitage’s bare palm as he did so.

“Hopefully,” the retired pilot replaced the pen and notebook in his coat pocket, “this is the last of the snowfall, so once the roads are cleared up today, I’m free as my buddy Snap is on duty in the morning. I’ll be sure to call you tomorrow, same time OK?”

“Sure," the redhead nodded, it was increasingly difficult to make eye contact with the handsome Latin man before him. Since when did he act like such a shy schoolboy?

“Well it’s settled, tomorrow,” Poe checked his analog watch on his wrist hidden under his sleeve, “eight AM. I’ll pick you up. But not before I call you.” He added when opening the truck door and climbing into the driver’s seat. His Corgi hopping into his lap as he shut the door and rolled down the window when Armitage beckoned him to answer one more question with a wave of his hand.

“How am I supposed to know if you’re calling me?” his green eyes brightened with the moxie Armitage Hux was famous for in the Galaxy district.

“Just read the ad on the tailgate, my number's on there, I promise you won’t forget it,” Poe gave Armitage a wink and rolled up his window. Before the redhead standing in the driveway could protest any further the truck driver began to back out and leave.

Armitage followed the truck in reverse and watched as Poe drove away. His mouth dropped upon seeing, _and reading_ , the sign attached.

_Get plowed for 20 bucks! Winter is coming, AND SO AM I!!! Call Poe Dameron at 555-DAMN!!_

Armitage Hux was an intelligent man, whose subjects of excellence were in history and literature, he knew a double entendre when he saw one. And this ad very well could have been the most vulgar display of wit he had ever seen!

His lips quivered with both intrigue and fury, brain and his heart arguing over whether or not this possible date tomorrow morning was going to be a spontaneous blessing or the biggest mistake he had made in recent months. His eyes moved to the bay window of their house, and he saw Phasma and Paige with large smiles and theirs thumbs up, excited about the entire matter. No doubt smiling at the deep red blush on his face.

In that moment Armitage Hux could not help but laugh. Life was a strange creature. Three years ago; living under his father's thumb, he would have scowled at the very idea of a man asking him on a date or living with a lesbian couple in the LGBT district of one of the largest cities in the country. But here he was, with the two most amazing and loyal friends he had ever crossed paths with, in a neighborhood that felt more like a family than the one he left behind, searching for love and happiness on his own terms.

Yes, life was a strange, beautiful creature indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the fic. Don't be afraid to kudo and comment!


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